Dog Owner's Urgent Warning After Frenchie Has Allergic Reaction Following Contact With Fabulosa
Pixie's owner wants to warn others.
A dog owner is warning others after her French bulldog had a life threatening allergic reaction shortly after she mopped her floor using the cleaning product, Fabulosa.
Leanne Lindsay, 42, from Rhondda, South Wales, says Pixie's face ballooned just hours after she cleaned the floor with a diluted solution of the brand's Wild Rhubarb product.
Leanne says Pixie had been lying on the floor on and off all day when she began struggling to breathe. By the time they reached the emergency appointment, her mouth and tongue had begun to turn blue due to the lack of oxygen from the restricted airway, leaving Leanne "hysterical" and fearing for Pixie's life.
Luckily, after a steroid injection, Pixie made a full recovery, but Leanne is warning others to be vigilant for warning signs of allergic reactions.
Fabulosa, meanwhile, are investigating the incident and said allergic reactions to an ingredient in their product "is a very rare occurrence, however could happen if a pet is unusually sensitive to a certain chemical within the product".
Leanne said: "First of all one eye swelled up and I thought 'what has she done, has she scratched it?' so I put a cold compress on it and just kept an eye on her.
"But within 15 minutes the other eye just went exactly the same and her whole face and neck started swelling.
"I rang the vet and they asked me what her breathing was like - she was breathing really heavily and fast so they told me to bring her in straight away.
"By the time we got there her mouth and tongue were blue - the vet said 'she's turning blue, quick!' and they just grabbed her and ran into the back.
"I couldn't stop crying because I thought she was going to die and I'd never see her again - I was hysterical. I stayed in the waiting room the whole time because I was a bag of nerves."
Leanne explained how she diluted the Fabulosa in water while her two pets were upstairs and - following the instructions - claims to have kept the pair off the floor until they were fully dry.
Despite using the product before, Leanne thinks the reaction could have happened because Pixie usually lies on a rug in the living room but it had been thrown away so she lay directly on the floor.
She says vets later asked what Pixie may have come into contact with and came to the conclusion that the Fabulosa disinfectant 'must have caused' the reaction.
Leanne said: "The vet asked if she'd been near any plants but she hadn't because I don't have any plants in the garden.
"She's in my sight constantly so I know nothing went in her mouth and she's eating the same food, so that's the only thing it could be from her lying on the floor.
"When I told them what I'd used on the floor, they said it's got to be that. I've used so many other cleaning products and she's always been fine, it's just this one - she'd never had an allergic reaction before so it came as a complete shock."
Thankfully, Leanne's other French bulldog Kobi, didn't suffer the same reaction.
"Within half an hour of them giving her the steroid injection her face started going down but she wasn't well for days after," she continued.
"I'm just glad Pixie's back to herself now and I've thrown the Fabulosa out and won't be using it again."
A spokesperson for Fabulosa said: "We have contacted Leanne so we can investigate the matter fully in light of the alleged allergic reaction.
"Our customer’s health and safety, and that of their pets is of utmost importance to us and we take any reported incidents seriously.
"If consumers use the products in accordance with safety information on the back of pack, the product is completely safe for use in a domestic environment.
"An allergic reaction to an ingredient in a Fabulosa product is a very rare occurrence, however could happen if a pet is unusually sensitive to a certain chemical within the product."
Featured Image Credit: CatersLucy Devine